Lisa Hall Jewelry

Lisa Hall Jewelry

Natural sea glass and renaissance-inspired jewelry

Meet Our June Featured Business: Lisa Hall Jewelry

Lisa Hall Studio may be tucked away on Summit Avenue in Northeast Harbor, but she used to be harder to reach.

She originally opened her studio in an ‘old bait shed’ on Great Cranberry, and in the year 2000 she got some unexpected press. “An article came out in Martha Stewart Living and droves of people would come there and walk through the woods to buy stuff.”

When the winter commute to Great Cranberry from her home in Town Hill became too much, she set up shop at her current location, in 2002. “Now I have a work space, and all the jewelry’s made here, which is very cool.”

Walking in, there are two parts to the studio. The room entering the space is beachy and fun, with Lisa’s signature sea glass jewelry and other nautically inspired items people love. The second room, which is shared with the studio, is darker wood, filled with more gold and gemstone pieces and luxury goods from Italy, including soaps, faience pottery, and gold painted wooden trays.

Lisa got into jewelry making in Italy as an art student. She lived there for two years learning jewelry making techniques. After Italy, Lisa lived in New York City for a year before she felt MDI calling her home.

“Because I was a summer kid… I just wanted to be here full time. So, I worked on a lobster boat for two winters and then I apprenticed with Sam Shaw in the summers. I learned a lot from Sam as well as from being in Italy. And then I just branched off.”

Lisa Hall is best known for her sea glass jewelry, most of which she picks herself. She is also one of the only jewelers who complement sea glass with 14 carat gold and gemstones. “I travel to places that have sea glass too, but I’m very particular about it being real and not changed, reshaped, or tumbled.”

Because of this, it can sometimes take years to find matches. In the case of a pair of red sea glass earrings in her shop, one piece of sea glass is from California and the other is from England. Lisa Hall and her team of jewelers will also work with sea glass, gemstones, and jewelry customers bring in. “I gladly do custom stuff. It doesn’t cost more.”

Besides Lisa, employees Julie Havener, Monica Davis, and Genny Mathews create jewelry for the studio, as well as dedicate time to their own work. Lisa Hall Studio sells the work of both current and former employees. As Lisa encourages others in the art of jewelry making, even the daughters of both Julie and Lisa have jewelry for sale in the shop.

Lisa Hall also has many gift items made by artisans in Maine including Sage Moon Apothecary, Sailor Rose, Quercus Designs, Aaron Mitchell, and more. When asked what criteria she uses to find the unique items in her store, Lisa realizes it’s similar to how she finds her employees. “It’s an organic thing. They are all pieces we can talk about happily and enjoy, and have people be excited about.”

Whether you have 75 cents (bracelets made of recycled flip flops) or $3000 (a 14 carat gold ring shaped like a crown with gemstones), there is something at Lisa Hall Studio for you. They even offer gift wrapping.

An online store is in the works but in the meantime, she’s more than happy to send pictures of what she has in stock to people who can’t easily stop in, and she can ship anywhere. “There’s something for everybody: a hostess gift or a wedding gift or a birthday party… Even fun jewelry for yourself, or for wedding rings.”